


Nighttime Sorrows

by FoolsgoldFenrir



Series: Mad Jarate [3]
Category: Team Fortress 2
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, Feels, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Kinda anyway, Light Angst, M/M, Scout loves his Ma, Speeding Bullet (Team Fortress 2)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-06
Updated: 2020-08-06
Packaged: 2021-03-06 02:20:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,786
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25745749
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FoolsgoldFenrir/pseuds/FoolsgoldFenrir
Summary: Sniper hears some odd noises outside his camper van and goes to investigate them. He comes across Scout, who isn't quite feeling his best and misses his mother. Fluffiness ensues.
Relationships: Scout/Sniper (Team Fortress 2)
Series: Mad Jarate [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1978612
Comments: 4
Kudos: 64





	Nighttime Sorrows

**Author's Note:**

> I'm supposed to be working on another bigger project, another TF2 fic which is a different pairing but yes is smut, which I've been working on for the past month but you know, lack of motivation can be a bitch sometimes. Well I regained my motivation to write a little bit, as I've been binging TF2 content, kept getting hit in the feels, so I whipped up a quick little thing. Just some Sniper/Scout fluff, figured I should do something safe-for-work for once. Although there's some referenced sexual things that are implied to have been going on between the two of them for some time. They're coworkers-with-benefits bordering on friends, pretty much. Also title sucks, sorry about that but I haven't got anything better to call it.
> 
> This takes place in the same universe and timeline as Lemonade On The Rocks, actually all my TF2 fics are going to I've decided (unless stated otherwise of course, or if I decide to change my mind but I probably won't). It's not the sequel though, that will come around sometime in the future. I've got somewhat of a basic idea for it so no need to fret. This actually takes place after both Lemonade On The Rocks and its eventually-to-come sequel.
> 
> Anyway I'll stop talking now, enjoy!

Late night at the base of Reliable Excavation Demolition was relatively peaceful compared to every other time of the day. Whether it be due to battle, after-battle afternoons, dinnertime ruckus, or Medic chasing after Scout with an ubersaw for jokingly asking if he ever planned on using his bonesaw for chin reduction surgery. The only sounds the RED Sniper could hear while sitting in the back of his van and drinking a bottle of roo brew were the snapping of the baby crocodile’s jaws as he fed it scraps of meat, and the hooting of the owl that rested atop his camper van’s roof. The tiny portable television set was on but it was muted. He sat there peacefully with the TV just being a light source.

He reached out to pet his baby crocodile once he finished feeding it when a third sound made his ears perk up. It was quiet, and the average person would have easily brushed it off as just hearing things that weren’t there, like a house noise. Sniper was not the average person, though, and the instincts he had picked up from his time as a big game hunter, when he’d spent months at a time in isolation, made him automatically tune into any odd noise. The sound was heard again, slightly quieter than the previous one. It sounded stifled, as though the source was trying to hide it.

_ “Hold on just a second, Snaggletooth, ye little water kitten. Oi’ll be roight back.”  _ Sniper whispered a promise, putting the half-empty bottle down and moving the croc off his lap, placing it on the bed. It made a little whine of protest and laid on its belly, arms hanging off the mattress. He petted its head and Snaggletooth made a low rumbling noise that sounded like a purr while slowly blinking its eyes at Sniper like a trusting cat.

He stood up from his spot and trudged towards the door, his legs weak and tired. Probably thanks to running for his life away from an angry BLU Medic that had found his hiding spot and then falling over when the bonesaw hacked away at the back of his knees in a single swing. That had made him make a mental note to remember to always shoot the enemy Medic first before going for the one he was pocketing. Respawn was a wonderful thing, but it sometimes still left him sore.

And then there was that odd sound again. He hadn’t been able to determine the type of creature that had made it the first two times, though he was still able to tell it was made by a living being. The third time, he now understood that it must have been human in origin. It was clearer, louder, and had a fragment of a voice to it. But who would be outside at this time of night, and anywhere near the area Sniper had his van parked? He’d heard the pitter-patter of Scout’s rapid footsteps during his nightly run earlier, but they’d stopped what seemed like ages ago. If he had a visitor, he thought they would have knocked by now.

Opening the door, he stepped out softly, taking care not to make a sound at the risk of alerting the mystery person to his presence before he had the chance to solve the mystery. It could be an enemy BLU sneaking into the base for all he knew. He pulled out his kukri in the case of self-defense, hoping it wouldn’t be someone that would be difficult to take out in melee range. As he got closer to the sounds, however, he could tell that it in fact was not a BLU, nor any other enemy.

It was the RED Scout, sitting by himself on a fallen log while holding a small square-shaped object in one hand. And he seemed to be… crying?

Sniper’s curiosity and cautiousness was replaced with confusion and intrigue, as well as a tiny bit of sympathy. He didn’t see the boy cry often. To be fair, not many things could make him cry from what Sniper knew. The last time had been when a double rainbow had shown up in the sky sometime last month after some heavy downpour. Turns out Spy was right about rainbows making Scout cry, the reason behind that remaining ever elusive to the marksman.

Foregoing his initial plan to maintain his stealth, he casually strided over to the log and sat down next to the runner. Scout was taken aback by his sudden appearance and made a confused, strangled noise. He leaned back and studied the figure, their face and body somewhat obscured by the darkness. It took some time to get past his blurry vision from watery, tired eyes, but was eventually able to see them clearer.

“Sniper?”   
  
“Mhm, in the flesh. Wot’re ye doin’ 'ere, mate?”

Scout frowned and scooted away by half an inch, his face sullen and eyes pointed towards the ground. “Just relaxing after a run. What’s it to you?” He muttered.

Sniper grunted. The boy had always been a terrible liar, and though he would have had a plausible excuse had it been any other person giving it, he knew Scout was not one to give in to the urge to rest. Not outside at least, and especially not after a run. He refused to even drink water at any time during a battle, saying that it would make him go soft because he’d be too relaxed. That and all the tells he was giving off - his body suddenly going rigid, not wanting to even look at Sniper once he asked, shuffling his feet awkwardly, twiddling his thumbs, not blinking, and of course, the sudden defensiveness to a simple question.

“Well, you’re near me van an’ I heard you. Thought you were an enemy trying to sneak in and steal our intel, was about to put ye down.” He showed Scout the kukri before putting it in his belt on the side facing away from him.

“Yeh, I was out fer a run, dat’s why. Sorry fer gettin’ too close, you oughta put up a ‘stay off my lawn’ sign if you don’t want people around.”

“Oi, I don’t mind when people are around me van. You of all people should know, wot with you knockin’ twice a week for some rooting.”

Scout’s cheeks flushed, knowing that ‘rooting’ was Australian slang for sex thanks to the time he was talking about how every Bostinian was supposed to root for the Red Sox, “and for good reasons!” he had followed up his claim. And then Sniper had asked to see their pictures to know if they were really that hot. Oh, and the secret sessions they had in Sniper’s van while the rest of RED was asleep, and the lanky Australian would lean in the doorway with a smirk, asking how ready he was for a rooting.

“S-shut up.” He said with his arms crossed, the usual energy lost in his voice.

“You’re the one that started the whole thing.” Sniper replied. “And I can tell you’ve been crying. What for?”

“I wasn’t crying!” Scout snapped, whipping around to glare directly at Sniper’s face. His eyes were wet, red and puffy, as was his slightly runny nose. Dried tear stains were faint but visible on his cheeks. “I’m just sweaty from running!”

“Oh please, Pinnoccio’s a better liar than you.” Sniper rolled his eyes. “Come on now, you’re acting like a bunch of emus robbed your house.”

“What?”

“The Great Emu War from back in 1932. Some emus, those big birds from down under, well they found a stash of australium one day and decided to start ransacking every house they could bust the door down to. Went on for around six days until they realized us Aussies punch back. Or more like until Saxton Hale uppercut the leader of the emus fifty feet in the air and they finally surrendered.”

Scout snickered, his frown turning upside down. “No way. I knew Australia was weird, but not to the point of declaring war on birds. Dat sounds like something straight outta a cartoon.”

“It does, but that’s what happened and how it happened. At least, according to my ‘rents who used to live in Nannup. They punched back  _ real  _ hard, that’s why they’ve still got their australium.”

“Yeah, parents…” Scout muttered, looking away again with a frown. A single tear rolled down his cheek. He quickly wiped it away before Sniper could see it.

“Is that why you were crying? Something about your parents?” Sniper’s eyes were on the square object Scout held in his hand, now recognizing that it was a photo. Of what, though, he wasn’t sure.

“No, I told you I wasn’t crying!” Scout insisted again, but the way Sniper was looking down at him made him loosen up. His yellow-tinted shades were off, and his eyes looked compassionate and understanding as opposed to the usual cold and emotionless stare or smoldering look for when shit was about to go down. It was weird for a professional like Sniper, but he accepted the comfort that was offered. “Fine, I was…”

“Is that a photo of your mum?” Sniper guessed.

“Yeah, that’s Ma…” Scout sighed with a sniffle and a wipe to the nose, handing Sniper the crumpled photo of a woman older than the both of them, yet not looking the part. 

The latter could see the resemblance as both were slim and pretty, the same head shape and prominent cheekbones too. The resemblance ended with the red dress, thick gold hoop earrings, and headband that sat within her short black hair. And the eyeshadow, although Sniper had once walked in on Scout putting on eyeshadow and lipstick in the bathroom while everyone else had been busy arguing about whether ‘tomato’ was pronounced ‘toh-may-toe’ or ‘tah-mah-toh’ and getting into fisticuffs over it in the mess hall.

“She’s a real beautiful lass, I must say.” Sniper mused and handed the picture back. “You homesick?”

Scout nodded, ashamed of being caught in such a vulnerable moment. Even though Sniper had seen him in other vulnerable moments and knew a couple shameful secrets of his, but they hadn’t involved crying for his Ma. He kept that to his room and muffled with his sheets more often than not. And yet here he was, sitting on a log outside his teammate and fuckbuddy’s van and next to him, telling him his woes.

“She really is-  _ and don’t you even THINK about banging her!  _ Spy having fucked her once is enough!” Scout regained his ferocity for a second before it was gone, just as quickly as it had returned. “But yeah, I uh… I miss her. A lot.” He brought the picture closer to his face and sniffled again.

Sniper knew that it was very likely Spy had fucked Scout’s mother more than just once, knowing of the pictures Spy had shown him from back when the two dated as well as knowing that one of those rootings had resulted in Scout being born. He didn’t mention any of that, though. “No need to worry, m’not even into sheilas that way. And it’d be weird to be shagging both her and her son.”

“Good. It really would be weird, then calling ya ‘daddy’ in bed would be even weirder than it already is and I don’t need to be any more embarrassed about dat than I already am.”

Personally, Sniper thought getting called 'daddy' in bed was already weird to begin with. Still, it was Scout's thing and he didn't mind it too much. As long as he didn't have to call him 'daddy' back, and he didn't. “Anyway, if you miss her so much, why don’t ye just call her up when you get the chance? Oi talk to me own mum an’ dad every weekend just to check up on ‘em. Even though they don’t really like me bein’ an assassin.”

"Uhh… the thing is, though…" Scout scratched the back of his neck. "I forgot her number."

Sniper gave the runner a quizzical look. "Don't you have it written down or something?"

"No, it was such a rush when Miss Pauling came over to pick me up for the job, we were runnin' late, and all I had time to do was give Ma a hug and get this picture here." Scout shook his head forlornly. "I've been wanting to call ever since I first got here. And it's not like anyone else knows it either."

_ "I might know someone that does."  _ Sniper thought to himself, thinking back to Spy. 

He was aware that the Frenchman was not the biggest fan of either of them, but he'd be willing to at least do one nice thing for his son, right? Sniper was thinking about how he would approach him about the matter, and if Spy even still had the number either. It would still be worth a shot, and if not then he could try asking Ms. Pauling or asking her to ask the Administrator. Surely one of them would have it, or be able to find a way to get it. And if not, he could employ his own tactics of digging up information. He had the picture and knew that there had to be at least a couple records from Boston. Given that, he was experienced in working with even less information to start with.

"If ye want, oi could try to find it."

Scout looked up at the lanky man with a slight smile, the corner of his mouth turning upward while his tired eyes twinkled with a sliver of hope. "Really? How?"

"Well, let's just say it's part of my job." No matter which method he used to get that phone number, that statement would be true in some way.

"That better not involve Ma gettin' hurt though, you hear that?"

"'Course. Just trust me, I promise I'll get that number for you and then ye can call 'er up any time you like. Starting tomorrow, because it's late." Suddenly, the Aussie felt himself being pulled and a force constricting his chest.

"Ohmygod  _ thank you, thank you, thank you!" _ Scout hugged him tightly, nuzzling his temple into Sniper's shoulder. A beaming smile stretched from ear to ear, making his cheekbones pop out more than usual.

Sniper wasn't much of a hugger, in fact he wasn't very keen on physical contact that wasn't sexual. Even then he had some particular boundaries set. Scout was a hugger, though, and so he was willing to make an exception just for him, and just for a moment like this. They weren't quite at the level of being a sickeningly sweet and mushy couple, or even really a couple at that. Scout still annoyed him often, although that was a given since he annoyed everyone. He had somehow become less annoying as they spent more time together, and who was he to not help a fellow teammate in need?

And so he just returned the hug, strange as doing so felt for him. The hug was broken off as quickly as it had begun. Scout was blushing and holding a hand to his right temple, looking away.

"Sorry, sorry about that. I know you usually don't really like getting personal like that and all…" He murmured regretfully. To his surprise, Sniper pulled him back into the embrace.

"Oi don't mind too much. I've been tryin' t'get betta wit dat."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah." The hug was broken off again and Sniper stood up, cracking his back and stretching. "Y'wanna join me in the van for a quickie?"

"Naw, honestly I'm pretty tired now. Just gonna hit the showers and go to bed."

"Ah, alright then. G'night, and I'll see you tomorrow." Sniper was about to walk off when he felt a tug at his arm.

"Wait!" Scout stopped the bushman and waited for him to turn around. "I just, uh, wanted to say thank you. For tryna help me finally talk to Ma. She's probably gonna yell at me for taking so long, but better late than never." He was completely sincere, no trace of the annoying and conceited delinquent that was too cocky for his own good showing up. It was still there of course, being ingrained into his personality, but that wasn't all the Boston boy was.

"S'all good. Oi can tell ye love yer mum a whole lot, that's a good thing. Of course I'd help." With that, Sniper took his leave back to the camper van he called home, with a smile on his face.

Hey, maybe that kid wasn't so bad after all.


End file.
